Bad Habits
by Through Darkness
Summary: The Senshi and the Shitennou have developed some very bad habits in the way they act around each other...SenxGen, Senshi/Shitennou pairings
1. An Accident and a Mistake

"_Once was an accident. Twice was a mistake. Three times was a bad habit. Its what I ran through my head every day. This honestly couldn't happen like this. Our relationship wasn't going to exist this way. It just wasn't. We weren't friends. We didn't even like each other. We said it was purely physical. The easiest person to lie to, in the end, is really yourself."_ -Jadeite

Very loud screams were coming from the Hikawa Shrine this Thursday evening. Rei and Jadeite were, as per usual, screaming at each other until they were hoarse.  
The topics were always small, stupid and pointless. But the regular fights between them built and built until they were no longer yelling about the day's topic, but just common insults passing between the two.  
"I realize it kills you to not flirt with everything in a skirt, Jed, but did it occur to you to maybe _not_ drag fresh mud all over the shrine you know I spent all day cleaning?" Rei yelled, indicating the footprints all over the place.

Jadeite screamed back. The fights were common occurrence, and he honestly despised her and the way they got under each other's skin. "Well sorry if I didn't think about it when I figured I was late for a meeting that _you_ neglected to tell me was moved to tomorrow!"

"If you ever turned your damned cell phone on, you'd have gotten the message! I don't even know why Kunzite-san pays for the damn thing, you always have it turned off!" To prove her point, Rei boldly reached into his pocket, pulled out the cell phone and flipped it open to prove it was off.

He snatched the phone from her, his blonde hair rustling in the wind. "You're right. I always turn my phone off when I'm in the presence of a pretty lady." To aggravate her, he held up his phone to her face and turned it on.

Rei fumed. "Your definition of _pretty_, Jadeite, often reminds me of the taste some women have in bridesmaid dresses!" A day trip a few days earlier with Usagi-chan had forced the miko into seeing some horrifying dresses – Rei shuddered at the thought of the bows.

"I realize you're jealous sweetie, and that's okay. We could have a shot, I'd be more then willing to try you out but you'd have to shut up for ten minutes first." He shot back.

Rei promptly slapped him and turned around, beginning to storm away towards her room.

Jadeite followed, a slight red mark stinging his cheek just under his blue eye. If he was disgruntled before, he was furious now. He cornered her in the space between the miko's room and the fireplace, not entirely sure which one she had intended to go to.

"Now, listen here, little firecracker!" He grabbed one of her shoulders and pushed her against the wall, bearing down on her. Rei's eyes glared up at him, and little beads of sweat dripped down her face. "I don't take to being hit, and I hate being walked away from, especially now that you owe me an apology!"

Rei wasn't about to back down. There was a fire lit inside by these arguments; it wasn't to be extinguished. She would not turn away and hide from Jadeite like a little girl – she was Sailor Mars, and she _would_ chastise him as needed.

Rei turned to face him and glared at him. She opened her mouth to let loose a fury of insults, but he beat her to the punch and grabbed her arms, a look very different from the one she was used to seeing in his eyes.

As soon as he grabbed her, they were kissing, and a foreign fire flared up inside Rei. She pulled him towards her. Her brain had turned off; her feelings of confusion and caution around the Shitennou where nowhere to be found. The only thought she could possibly muster was an instant want for his body to be closer to hers; suddenly she felt as though being parted from the King of the Far East would be to experience pain like that of having her star seed ripped from her body. And so a hunger was born in her, and she pulled at Jadeite's body, trying to get closer to him.  
Jadeite was experiencing something akin to heaven. Unlike Rei, he knew that no woman in the world could ever make him feel as she did. She lit him on fire, both metaphorically and literally, and he wouldn't have it any other way. It was pure bliss to have this woman in his arms. He had thought, surely, it would have taken until the time of Crystal Tokyo for this to happen. He pressed her against the thin wall of the fire room, and felt the heat change between them.  
Rei, lost to passion, had a sudden flash. She saw herself, pressed against a door, kissing Jadeite, tugging at the buttons on his uniform. She was dressed in her Senshi fuku, and he in his formal original Shitennou military uniform, the emblem of the Far East patched onto his shoulder. They were grabbing at each other and pulling at each other's clothing, while Jadeite fiddled with the doorknob behind her. It finally clicked and they pulled apart. Jadeite had red lipstick smeared all over his lips and he grinned like a stupid school boy. Rei pushed the door open and dragged him inside, a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
The flash ended, and here she was, kissing Jadeite, him in casual clothes and her in her miko's robes. Rei was puzzled beyond belief. Was it a memory? Or worse yet...a premonition?  
She abruptly shoved Jadeite from her and gasped, glaring at him and wiping her mouth on the side of her sleeve. "How DARE you? What the hell were you thinking? You disgust me!" She walked to the door of the fire chamber, and slammed the door shut in a huff. Rei sat before the fire and panted, trying to calm down. The miko was very upset, and had a great need for answers. She began to prepare for her meditation.

Zoisite was contentedly lying on the couch with his book on interplanetary space probes. He was in fact, very happy. He had just finished one of the lovely snack cakes that Kunzite had brought home two days ago. After the morning jog and work out, Zoisite had realized how truly lethargic today was starting to look. And so, he curled up with his book and his copy of the research Nephrite had brought home with a cup of hot apple cider and his slippers. Kunzite kept the temperatures of the house needlessly low, so the men had taken to wearing slippers, although Nephrite was the only one who chose to wear a fuzzy bunny variation.  
He looked up to see the time was late into the afternoon, and Jadeite walked in through the living room. It was odd to see Jadeite home at such an hour, though that was not the specific detail that had Zoisite, for the fourth time that day alone, question his fellow Shitennou's sanity.  
Jadeite was humming.  
In fact, not only was Jadeite humming, but as he neared the television, he did a quick heel-lead kick off into a graceful spin. Though Jadeite was easily a good ballroom dancer, he hardly used the skills outside of when necessary. Jadeite was so wrapped up in his own world; he didn't even notice Zoisite calling him until Zoisite hit him in the head with one of his slippers.  
Jadeite was in such a good mood, he even returned the slipper to the intellectual. Zoisite was, to say the least, flabbergasted.  
"WHAT THE HELL?" Zoisite stood from the couch, dropping his book to the floor. "Are you kidding me? I haven't seen you act like this in half a millennium! What the hell happened to you, Jed?"  
Jadeite smiled and placed his hand on Zoisite's shoulder, the grin never fading. "I am here to announce that the Shitennou have hope yet, my friend. She kissed me! She kissed me! She kissed the hell out of me!" Jadeite laughed merrily and skipped into the kitchen.  
"That boy becomes more feminine and more pansy like every day. And he says I'm the girly one..."  
-

Rei walked up the steps to the home of the four Outer soldiers slowly, deep in thought. She rapped twice with the door knuckle, and leaned against the side wall.

The door opened quickly to reveal a confused looking Tenoh Haruka in her racing jacket. After Galaxia's defeat, money had become strained for almost everyone, and so Haruka had returned to F1 racing and Michiru had returned to the world of performing classical music. Haruka smiled and gestured for Rei to walk in.

"Well, well, well. What can we do for you, Rei?" Haruka's usual flirting grin was on, but Rei was hardly phased by it anymore.

"I was actually hoping to talk to Setsuna today, Ruka-chan." Haruka nodded and led Rei into the living room.

"Michi, honey, we have a guest!" Haruka hollered out in a joyful fashion. It was common knowledge that Michiru loved hosting the Senshi, and did so at least once a week for dinners. Michiru promptly walked into the living room, Hotaru by her side, with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Rei, you look lovely today." Michiru sat in front of Rei and smiled. Hotaru sat in front of her Michiru-mama who began to play with her hair. Haruka left the room and returned with Setsuna.

"Ready to go? We're off to the beach for a bit, Rei-chan, if you'd care to join us…?" Haruka offered.

Rei politely declined as she watched Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru file out the door and into Haruka's beautiful new Mustang. She waited a few moments, until the roar of the engine was gone and she knew they were well on their way.

"Setsuna-san…you know why I'm here, I presume." The Senshi of Fire folded her hands in her lap and pursed her lips.

"That's not exactly how it works, Rei. I know what will come from it, if that's what you mean. But I've had this conversation with you three times and you say it differently every time. So, you'll have to tell me."

Puzzled by the idea of having the conversation three times, but deciding it was a matter for another time, Rei took a deep breath.

"I want to know how to get my memories back."

The Goddess of Time smiled and sipped her tea gently. "I like it, very direct." She put the tea cup down on the pattered china that Michiru loved and sighed.

"Unfortunately, it's not entirely my decision to make. You'll have to discuss it with Usagi." Setsuna said calmly. Rei was grateful that Pluto tended not to pry in lives; not only because in essence she did know everything, but because she understood that motivation for doing crazy things was entirely private to each person.

"Usagi? But Usagi doesn't have her memories, either…" Setsuna shook her head.

"Usagi's memories are full and complete. She remembers both her current life, her visions of her future life and her life as the Princess of the Moon in the Silver Millennium. When she, Mamoru-san and I revived the Shitennou, their memories were restored so they would be fully aware of who they were bringing into modern era."

Rei sat and thought for a minute, in shock. Usagi had her memories? Intact? And…she never said anything..

Setsuna watched, full of sadness unseen by the world, as Rei's confusion and upset washed through her. She sighed and started to clear the tea cups as she watched Rei walk out of the Outer's home in a daze, her feet leading her to Usagi.

When Rei got to Usagi's apartment, she had come to her senses. She wasn't upset. She was angry. Violently, so, in other words, normal.

"TSUKINO USAGI!"

They had talked for a while. Rei had slightly calmed and they were now curled up on Usagi's bed.

"Usagi, please understand. I'm getting flashes…and I don't know what they mean. I need to know. I can't keep going like this without knowing."

Usagi took Rei's hand into her own, and found the violet eyes with her deep pools of blue.

"Rei…I…it's not something you can ever take back. And .." Usagi's breathing was ragged, and unsteady as tears formed in her eyes. "You can't choose what you see…you see it all…"

Rei was taken aback by the pain and hurt in her princess' eyes and voice.

"Usagi…" The miko was overwhelmed by respect and awe for her leader, in realization that the Princess had been alone with no one to talk to about watching the downfall of her kingdom, the murder of her friends, the death of her lover and soul mate, and watching herself commit suicide. It sounded like the most terrifying concept of all.

"It's not like watching a movie, Rei. You can feel it. You can feel the pain and you can feel the tears and the blood and…" Usagi closed her eyes and winced, "I could feel the sword…I could feel myself dying…" Usagi erupted into tears and buried her head in Rei's lap. Rei, in an absent minded fashion, stroked Usagi's head for what could have been hours, lost deep in thought.

When Usagi finally pulled herself back together, she was quiet. "I'm sorry, Rei-chan, its just Mamo-chan and I agreed not to tell any of you because we thought it would be better…but it hurt so much, and I didn't have anyone to talk to." Usagi wiped the tears from her eyes.

Usagi tugged her sweater and lifted it up so that her stomach was visible. In the center was a long, deep pink scar. Rei looked confused. "It hurts. It hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. You feel every single second of it, Rei-chan, and you can't close your eyes and hide because it's in your head. And it leaves all kinds of scars – not just the physical ones. Mamo-chan has an identical scar from his fatal wound as Endymion as well. So please, Rei, you have to consider this seriously."

She sighed. "If its what you really want, we can restore your memory. I think its only fair to put the choice to all the Senshi as to who wants to know and who doesn't." Rei assumed Usagi intended to offer the same deal to the Shitennou, which Rei felt was fair. It seemed a fair deal. Rei was, as of now, much more nervous and wary of what her memories could show her.

But she couldn't face Jadeite again unless she knew. And so, one way or the other, she was going to get her memories back.

Makoto squinted as she pushed the needle tip closer to the surface and placed her hand purposefully on top of the injector. She leaned closer to her target when she heard a voice interrupt her.

"Are you sure you want to do that? You might want to.." A crease formed in the tall girl's forehead from irritation as she swung around.

"Thank you for your unnecessary input, but I think I can handle this." Makoto turned back to her project and resumed her position.

She was seconds away from injecting her subject when she felt a hand atop hers, and a warm body pressed against her own. Nephrite wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned over her, and moved her hand to the right before pushing against her thumb. The icing immediately shot out of the needle, and he held her hand and guided her into making an icing rose on the cake.

He released her and the spell was broken. She stood upright and whirled around and glared at him.

"I only meant to show you that you were off center, I had no means to offend you. Your cake is almost as beautiful as its maker, Kino-san. I am most impressed that you are attempting this business venture," he commented, indicating the bakery she was trying to start up in this small building she was renting. Nephrite moved away from the Senshi, creating a large gap between them.

They sat in silence for several minutes as Mako continued to decorate the cake with icing. The Senshi cut slowly and precisely, making four thin cuts into the dessert. She turned around with two slices of cake in hand and placed them on the table with a fork in front of both of them. She reached beside her and grabbed a small cup of cherry sauce, pouring it lightly over the sides of the cake in decorative pattern on the two plates.

They ate in silence. It seemed as though there was nothing to say, or at least in Makoto's mind there was. She bit her lip and dropped her fork to her plate, staring around the room – anywhere but into his eyes.

Nephrite took a deep breath and slowly his hand crawled across the table and left his fingers just grazing hers. She gasped and looked down, feeling the warmth of his hand spreading to hers. She felt a tingling in the tips of her fingers. Makoto ripped her hand off the table in shock. He nodded and stood.

"Thank you, Kino-san. The cake was delicious." The king of the Americas bowed stiffly and moved to leave.

"Wait," she whispered. He turned to face the auburn-haired beauty and caught her emerald eyes with his own. She hadn't thought he would hear her, but he had. He always seemed to hear her.

"You may call me Makoto." She smiled shyly, and his face spread into a grin.

"Very well...Makoto-san." And he turned and left.

The four Shitennou and the four inner Senshi stared at each other at the Hikawa shrine. In actual fact, two Shitennou and three Senshi stared at each other. Nephrite was looking to the skies, and Jadeite was looking at a pretty blonde tourist. Ami had brought a book. University had been wonderful for Ami – she had met intelligent colleagues, and she would be entering medical school next year. The rest of the girls were moving into careers – Rei at the temple; Makoto and Minako were starting a service together – Mina to plan the parties and Makoto to cater. They hadn't had a large success yet, but word was spreading about Minako's taste and Makoto's food.

Footsteps were heard slowly, as four colourful heads walked up the white steps. Haruka and Michiru were side by side with Setsuna. Haruka glared at each of the Shitennou separately, and Michiru put a hand on her arm to try and calm her.

"Ruka, they have as much right to be here as we do, you know." Haruka sighed and looked at Michiru. Michiru's gaze softened and she smiled, but tugged Haruka away from the reincarnated soldiers all the same.

Setsuna smiled. Rei looked up at her with knitted eyebrows.

"I thought your memories of the Silver Millennium were intact, Setsuna-san?" The fire Senshi questioned.

Setsuna smiled. "Indeed they are. I came to watch over all of you – just in case." It was yet another one of her cryptic sayings, but Rei ignored it.  
"And Hotaru-chan?" Ami inquired, noting the only Senshi absent.  
"We agreed that it might be better if she didn't remember destroying the world," Haruka grumbled.

Rei nodded and resumed glaring at the untrusty Shitennou. Five minutes later, Mamoru and Usagi walked up the steps, smiling. Mamoru kissed Usagi on the cheek as they separated and went towards the Shitennou and the Senshi respectively. The Outer Senshi moved in closer to see Usagi.

"Your hair becomes more silver every day, odango." Haruka whispered. The younger girl smiled widely and looked to Rei.

"Rei-chan, could you lead us someplace more private? I can't release the ginzuishiou in public." She whispered.

"I agree. It's best not to go all glowy in front of the tourists." Mina added.

"But then how will Jadeite stare at all the trashy looking Americans?" The Shinto priestess hissed. Everyone raised one eyebrow at her.

"You know, Rei-chan, you ought to be nicer to him, or everybody will figure out that you're in love with him." Makoto crossed her arms over her chest and raised one eyebrow at her dark haired friend.

"Him? In love? Ha! I couldn't love him if he actually found his brain!" She spit back out, angry at Makoto for saying such a thing. _She couldn't know about the other day...could she? I didn't tell her...What if Jadeite told!_

She led them towards the back of the temple, into the private sitting room the girls often used for studying or just relaxing away from the world. The fourteen people entered. The room was spacious and spread out. Rei, Jadeite, Mamoru and Usagi were the only four who remained standing.

Usagi nodded to the others. "If you'll excuse us, we must meditate to call the ginzuishiou and the golden crystal to us."

Usagi and Mamoru moved to a corner of the room where they sat down, folded their legs. Upon closing their eyes, they began to meditate.

Rei nodded to the others and left the room to fetch tea for everyone.

Soon later, Jadeite left the room explaining he was going to the bathroom.

As she was returning to the group, she bumped into Jadeite. She glared at him, as always. "You couldn't have kept your big mouth shut, huh? You had to go and tell all the other Shitennou that you kissed one of the Senshi! You must be so proud, for all one accident is worth." She growled at him, and he raised one blonde eyebrow at her.

"I didn't tell anyone, firecracker, so get your panties out of a bunch and play nice." He whispered back. Anger was rising up again, something that always seemed to happen when she was around. He wasn't an angry person – he was playful and carefree, but she always got right under his skin and pressed the right buttons.

"Get over yourself. You must've told someone – I was accused of being in love with you today, of all the stupid things."

"Well, it's good to know somebody can face the truth."

"What? You're insane! I despise you with everything in me!"

"Face it, Rei-chan, you're praying I'll kiss you again because then you get to kiss me and just pretend like you had nothing to do with it."

"You make me sick, Jadeite!"

"Really? We'll see about that!" He shouted and grabbed her close, slamming his lips against hers. She dropped the tray of tea and cups to the ground – the sounds of breaking china not even registering in their minds as they groped for each other. One would pull on the other, trying to get closer still as their bodies fit together evenly and there was no air left between them.

She had no idea how long she was kissing him for; she wished she could block it from her mind as if it had been some nightmare. But instead, all trains of thought were stopped and the only thing she could feel was grabbing onto him and holding her against him – as if all of the fire in her nature was calling out to be sated by him.

Later, Rei would find herself amazed that it was she who thrust him against a pillar and dug her hands underneath his shirt, clawing at his skin. He followed her lead and loosened the fastenings of her Priestess' robes and gently explored the skin of her stomach with his long fingers.

"Rei?" Makoto's soft voice came from around the corner. She and Jadeite sprang apart and began to attempt to reassemble their appearances.

"Y-yes, Mako-chan?" She stuttered. Mako chan rounded the corner to find a dishevelled Jadeite and Rei with her hair sticking up. Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' as the shock wore off and she realized what she had walked in on.

Jadeite muttered something inaudible and walked in the opposite direction; Rei knelt to the ground and started picking up the scattered cups. Some were broken or just cracked, others had blissfully remained whole. Makoto knelt and passed her a few pieces in silence. Green eyes desperately sought to meet violet ones, but Rei stubbornly refused to meet her friend's gaze.

"Rei." Makoto whispered. It was strange – such a quiet sound was so strong. Rei looked up and met her friend's eyes – they were filled with...something mixed and swirling. Confusion? Sadness, sympathy? Worry? Rei shook her head and stood, moving back towards the kitchen to get new tea cups. Makoto stubbornly followed.

They said nothing together. The priestess placed new cups on the tray, and the taller girl hovered in the doorway. Rei looked out the window, not moving, for several moments. She almost missed what Makoto said, but managed to hear just the end of it.

"...it's okay to be happy, Rei-chan. Nobody will judge you for that." Hearing her friend's soft voice say that, Rei's eyes softened and tears threatened to come up, exposing all the confusion she felt.

"We should get back." Makoto nodded and took the tray from her hostess and walked back towards the room where the rest of everyone was gathered, her ponytail swaying lightly.

Rei winced, anticipating Makoto to shout loudly to everyone that she had caught her and Jadeite kissing, trying to prepare some kind of explanation. She was relieved to find that it never came; her friend understood her confusion and shame, and Mako-chan said nothing to the rest of the Senshi or the Shitennou.

She poured tea for everyone, though Usagi and Mamoru were separate from the group and not paying attention.

Eyes closed and facing each other, they sat with their palms turned upward, resting on their knees while they had their legs crossed. It reminded Rei of her meditation pose. A soft glow surrounded them.

The group waited in silence, most of them not bothering to drink their tea, but only hold it for the warmth the beverage emitted.

Ami was engrossed in her book, and never noticed Zoisite watching her intently. His gaze barely left her, and he found himself smiling as he noticed her little habits – brushing her hair away from her eyes, biting her lip, underlining and repeating various passages softly to herself.

Minako and Kunzite were engaged in a vigorous staring contest. She was glaring angrily where he was calmly looking back, clearly amused by her antics. He wasn't willing to lose the contest that had been silently declared, and stoically waited for her to look away. He had limited himself from even blinking outside of when necessary – and she seemed infuriated that her angry glare seemed to have no effect on him.

Nephrite passed Makoto a tea cup, which she accepted and thanked him for. They sat next to each other, on the floor, Makoto's legs curled up under her skirts and his legs stretched out in front of him. They said nothing for the duration of the wait – it seemed that their presence had a calming effect on the other.

Haruka had taken her time to glare individually at each of the four Shitennou, despising all of them equally. Michiru tried to calm her, but was mostly amused at her antics. Setsuna stood watching Usagi and Mamoru, understanding their ritual.

A half hour passed, each keeping to their own. And so, in flashes of silver and golden light, blending together and sparkling throughout the room, the senshi watched closely, as Serenity and Endymion emerged from the light, hand in hand, the ginzuishiou and the golden crystal floating in their carrier's respective hands.

"Okay, _minna._ I'm so sorry." Tears were in Usagi's eyes, to the great confusion of those in the room. A blinding white light flashed through the room, and when it passed, everyone was left unconscious.

Setsuna, the only one still awake, sighed and sat down, waiting for them all to awaken. _Chronos protect them_, she whispered.

"_Gods, we didn't know what we were getting into. It brought us to a place nobody saw coming...but bad habits start and they aren't easy to get rid of."_- Hino Rei

**Jan.9, 2010 AN**- As I write chapter three, I found some inconsistencies in my logic and in my writing that I doubled back to clear up. Hopefully chapter 3 will be finished this month. I'll try – but university life consumes, as it were. Enjoy reading. ^^

**Sept.5, 2010 AN **– just found some grammatical ticks that I fixed. Chapter 4 to be up in the next week, give or take. Also realized I hadn't edited Hotaru out of this chapter, which I had thought I had done earlier. So I fixed that. 


	2. A Fear and a Hope

_"We wanted to know, we had to know. And I've spent every day since praying for amnesia; to forget; to look in the mirror just once without seeing the monster inside my soul.__ There is nothing more terrifying (and please consider the youma, cardigans, and variety of evil beings, that are being considered when I say terrifying) then knowing exactly how far you're willing to go to get a job done."_- Zoisite, Rittou Yasanori  
-x-

Zoisite paced furiously in his apartment. It had been fortunate, and through excellent computer skills, that four apartments in Mamoru-sama's building had become available for rent around the time the Shitennou recovered their memories. And so, he could run to any one of his brothers or his liege and ask for advice, but he only felt that this would end badly.  
Ami-chan had called. She was on her way over. Just to stop by for a minute and ask a question, the message had said. He had played it maybe forty times, trying to trap the melodious sound her voice within his mind, and failing miserably.  
And so, Zoisite paced.  
It had been nearly three months since he had seen her - since everyone's memory of the Silver Millennium had been fully restored. The Shitennou immediately dispersed from the house they had been sharing to the apartment building. They both felt a need to be away from each other and to be closer to Mamoru – a gesture meant to show they would not fail as they had during the Silver Millennium. At first, Zoisite had shut himself away for over a week; flashes of stolen kisses and sword fights blinding him and making him angry and unwilling to go outside. More then once he had found himself entranced and trapped in his memories, attacking doors. Jadeite had caught him kissing the fridge, trapped in a particularly sensual memory of the Princess of Mercury, and he certainly hadn't gotten over that terrifying experience. He hadn't thought having the memories would affect him so, but it looking in the mirror became harder every day, as he became more and more aware of the exact details of the horrors he had done under the orders of Beryl and Metalia.  
The idea of facing Ami right now made him nervous. He had seriously considered the idea that she was coming to kill him, which would be perfectly fine by him, but didn't see the rationalization behind it for Ami. So he found himself pacing and wondering why she was coming. She hadn't sounded angry, but light and calm. There wasn't even a particular emotion behind it, and perhaps that was the reason the message frightened him so. He wasn't sure if she was coming to kill him or kiss him. He was unfortunately quite sure that the first was much more likely to happen.

And so, he paced.

He wasn't sure what her reaction to their memories was. When the crystal's magic first entered their minds, they were all knocked unconscious. When they awoke, Zoisite and Jadeite had left and parted ways – so he had little information as to how any of the Senshi reacted.

He felt his memories explained many things – his attraction to Ami, how he had become evil in the first place and why he was so irrationally terrified of keys. The Shitennou seemed to lapse into a week long hermit state – they didn't leave their apartments until Mamoru got them all in a room, through use of pots, loud noises and threats.

Zoisite had cried. He had wept angrily and thrown things about and thrashed uncomfortably when he realized what had happened. He was physically ill for days. When Mamoru had finally broken into his apartment a week later, he found Zoisite lying in his bed, the mirror shattered and empty ramen cartons spread round the room. Zoisite's hair hadn't been combed in days. Mamoru (politely) physically threw Zoi into the shower and turned the water on. He had proceeded to scrub his hair and clean up Zoisite, get him dressed and drag him out into the sunlight.

Zoi found himself wondering if Mamoru had taken similar actions with the other three, but didn't feel comfortable asking.

In the weeks since, Kunzite – now Riku, had them awake and jogging at six AM every morning as well as working out at a gym on weekly basis. He, Nephrite and Jadeite (now Kenji and Daisuke, respectively) had all found jobs and Zoisite was attempting to enrol in university alongside Mamoru. Jadeite had been offered the chance to accompany them and take up studies, but he said he found himself much more at home with the construction company he had convinced to give him a temporary job.

The one thing Zoisite hated most were the names. Going by names of minerals was rather...suspicious. Or odd, at least. It drew attention, Kunzite said. So now, he had four new names to adapt to. Of course, using the names they had become evil traitors under wasn't exactly a happy feeling. But Zoisite had been going by Zoisite for over two millennium – it was hard to think of himself, or any of the others, by their new names. But they had all decided that if they were going to restart, new names were in order.

By the time Zoisite had come to the conclusion that his incessant pacing was frivolous and not helping his agitation, he grabbed the book off his coffee table – A Detailed History of Spain, and pulled his bookmark (the receipt for the delivery of his couch) when he heard a soft knock at the door.

He opened the door to see Ami-chan intently studying the name on the door. "Rittou Yasanori..." she whispered softly, reading the engraving aloud.

"Zoisite sounds rather odd as a name," he muttered softly. She blinked slowly, and the petite bluenette nodded. He motioned silently for her to enter his apartment, which she did. He closed the door behind her. "Can I get you a drink, Mizuno-san?"

"Water would be lovely." He headed to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. "There's no need to be so formal, however, Zoisite-san. Or would you prefer Rittou-san?" He returned swiftly with a glass and handed it to her.

"You can call me Zoisite, or Yasanori, if you want." _You don't even have to use an honorific, you can call me anything you'd like..._"Do you still dehydrate?" He was babbling, and speaking far too quickly to enunciate.

"I'm sorry?" Ami was confused. Didn't everyone get dehydrated from time to time?

"You used to dehydrate very easily. It was part of your connection to water in your past life," He explained quickly.

She nodded, again. "Not as easily as I did in my past life, but I do still feel a strong connection to it. My powers aren't nearly as potent as I remember them being." She smiled politely, biting her lower lip.

Zoisite tapped his foot on the floor softly, counting the beats of silence in his head. It was the rest of eternity – silence was only interesting in a piano minuet for so long. Ami had gulped down her water insanely quickly, giving her something of a distraction for a moment.

Ami was chewing her lip, looking at the wall behind Zoisite's head. Looking anywhere but at Zoisite, really. She lifted one hand to her mouth, subconsciously moving to bite her nails, but yanking her hand away from her face and blushing softly as soon as she realized what she was doing.

Zoisite chuckled as he watched her tug her hand down and put it behind her back – he had a very similar urge to bite his nails himself. "So, Ami-san, what can I do for you?"

"Ah, yes!" Ami knelt to the ground, fumbling with the latches of her briefcase. She rustled through her files quickly, sifting through papers and various other folders.

"Ami-san?" Zoisite questioned, after a minute or so of wondering what she was digging up.

"Oh-I," Ami started to answer as she lifted neatly organized files. She was holding the one she needed in her hand already, but she wanted to take her time. "I wanted to ask you for a favour, actually."

Zoisite's heart leapt into his mouth. _Anything. I'll run to the end of the Earth and back and I'll write you love songs and I'll ask your father's permission and I'll build you a house...or I'll make Jed build us a house, and I'll father-_

His thoughts were cut off by Ami standing and closing her briefcase. "I'd like a sample of your DNA. I'm trying to study the physiology differences between the Shitennou, the Senshi and non-magically enabled persons,"

Zoisite shook his head. _This_ was why she had called him? _This_ was what she wanted? He stopped listening after she realized it wasn't him she had come here for. It was the possibility of furthering her knowledge.

And so, he grabbed a few strands of hair from his hairbrush and swabbed the inside of his mouth with a q-tip. He placed them in the bag she had given him.

"Did you want a urine sample, too, Mizuno-san?" He asked coldly.

The ice in his voice surprised Ami. She blinked. It was unexpected, though she supposed that some people felt that science was invasive, and it was entirely possible that Yasanori-san was particular about his DNA.

She shook her head. "No, that's all I need." She bowed quickly, looking at the floor and her hair hanging in her eyes. "Thank you, Yasanori-san." She left quickly, and she jumped a little when she heard the door slam behind her.

He had fell against the door after slamming it, his hands in his hair and his eyes closed. He fell slowly to a sitting position on the floor, staring off into space and daydreaming about a girl who seemed like water.

-x-

Mina sighed as she stared at the yellow note pad sitting next to the phone in her apartment. She tapped a pencil nearby impatiently.

No one called. When she and Makoto had started the catering business, she had assumed they'd be a huge success. Most kids their age had gone to university, but Makoto couldn't afford cooking school (and she was good enough on her own, Minako thought), and Minako hadn't bothered applying – she wasn't smart enough. Rei and Ami were happy in university, with Rei studying philosophy, and Ami was on an expedited program to getting a PhD. and a M.D. Minako had barely paid her bills the last month. Haruka and Michiru had ended up being their biggest customers, calling them to help with benefits or private concert dinners. That was rare, but it was helpful, and Minako was eternally grateful.

Makoto had found a part time job as a chef in a small restaurant across town, as well as borrowed start up capital from the bank to rent a small bake shop downtown, and Motoki-kun had taken pity on Minako and given her a job at the Crown as a waitress.

Her dreams of being an idol had somehow...disintegrated over the years. The years of fighting youma and the various dramas the Senshi endured. And so, while Minako still loved acting and singing and auditioned for various theatre performances, and even actually ended up on stage a fair bit of the time, she wasn't delusional to think that she could get by living on a job-to-job basis, which is what the catering business ended up being half of the time, and thus the waitressing job came in handy.

And so she stuffed her apron in her bag and ran out of her apartment, forgetting to lock the door on her way out. Artemis was rarely home, despite the fact that she kept cat food, a litter box and that she slept with her feet curled up so he could fit in the crook of her legs at night. She was going to be late to work; she realized this fact as she pulled all of her hair up into a messy ponytail and chipped the last bit of the red nail polish off of her thumb nail.

By the time she had walked to the Crown and bustled out onto the floor, nametag and apron displayed...well, not proudly, as it wasn't with pride but with lack of dignity that Minako found herself working here, but displayed none the less.

She turned to the first booth in her section, pen and pad of paper in hand.

"Hi there, can I take your order?" And so the day would go, scribbling down orders with mental notes in her head, serving coffee and sundaes and the occasional treat. If she was lucky, some of the girls would come in and she'd be able to have someone cheer her up.

She moved to the corner booth in her section, and started her opening lines, only to be cut short.

"Hey Minako-san." She looked up and smiled.

"Jadeite-san." She stood against the side of the booth he wasn't sitting on. She found it odd that his four counterparts weren't with him, but she'd accept that they might be at lunch or whichever.

"Please, Minako-san, Daisuke in public. Our formal names don't exactly put ease to any bad feelings about us. So, please, call me Dai-kun." He smiled and she found it hard not to trust him. Her memories didn't indicate any tentative friendship in their past lives, and they had been acquaintances at most before her memories were returned to her.

Her memories of his past self, however, conflicted her openness to a potential friend. After all, he had engaged in an affair with Sailor Mars in the past and later turned traitor joining Beryl's cause.

She bit her lip. "I suppose you are civilians now," she whispered. He smirked at her and cocked his head to one side.

"I'm as much a civilian as you are, Minako-san." He replied with a casual smirk. She shook her head -feeling a strong urge to grimace, but fighting it all the same.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked.

Daisuke looked at her, concern in his eyes. She may hate him, but he didn't return the feelings quite so easily – he didn't have a reason to, where as she was fully justified in being angry with him and his fellow Shitennou.

As much as he wanted to start a new life, to work and settle down and wait for Crystal Tokyo, he couldn't. He couldn't make the past go away and he couldn't force the Senshi to accept his presence anymore then he would fully assume they weren't trying to kill him. He was still a little suspicious – especially of Rei, who had attempted to light him on fire at least six times since they had be reintroduced.

Like she hadn't done that enough in their last life.

But Minako...she looked tired. Exhausted, really. Like everything she'd been fighting for since she was thirteen meant so little at the end of the day and he sighed. He'd been dead for years – he was well rested. Minako looked like she hadn't slept in a month.

"Can I have a cup of coffee? Black?" She nodded and started to walk away. "Minako-san?" He wanted to say something, to comfort her or make the hurt of the memories fade away some how. It seemed wrong that she be so broken – a woman full of happiness and delight torn to shreds and hurt so deeply.

The words didn't come. "Make it two cups? Sugar and cream on the side?" She nodded and walked away to fetch the coffee.

Her golden hair shimmered behind her, the ponytail bobbing a little, traditional bright red bow on top of the pile of locks of sunflower yellow as always. He sighed. Some things never changed.

He looked up to see another man slide in to the booth across from him. His silver hair was tied to the back of his head easily, and his tan skin was starting to show a rather dusty brown look now that the summer was fading. A strong jaw, broad shoulders and perfect posture gave the impression that Kunzite had been giving off ever since Jadeite first met him – a man he would willingly follow to the grave and beyond.

"Did you order yet, Dai-kun?" He asked. Daisuke nodded and smiled.

"I'm still impressed how easily you switched over to the new names, you know." He moved one arm up to rest on the back of the booth, his fingers twitching.

"Names can reveal very little or very much about a person – I consider it only a modernization that we should all adjust to. I haven't found it difficult, but Yasa-kun seems rather bitter about it."

Jadeite laughed and tossed his head back. "Well Riku-chan, I suppose we might pull off this assimilation thing after all," he smiled at his leader.

"We just might, Dai-kun, we just might." Kunzite nodded back.

As the men were examining the menus, Minako walked back over, balancing two cups of coffee in plain white mugs on a dark tray, and she stopped in front of their table. She pushed the two steaming cups onto the table, followed by sugar packets and creamers.

"Are you ready to order, Daisuke-san?" She blinked, pulling her pad and pen out of her apron and flipped a stray hair behind her ear. Looking up to Jadeite's face, she blinked slowly, her gaze turning to his dining companion.

Her pad dropped to the floor and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened oh so slightly and she inhaled sharply.

"Minako-san, you may recall, my friend, Yagami Riku?" Jadeite whispered softly. The man in question bent down slowly, picking up the pad of paper and offered it up to her. She took it wordlessly.

Their eyes met; silver and sapphire, the calm and the storm, watching each other intently, as if waiting for the other to react, and yet finding little reaction from either.

"Of course. Can I take your order, Yagami-san?" Her voice was barely over a whisper, but all three parties heard the restrained tension and forced calm in her voice.

"The club sandwich, please, no tomato." She nodded and turned to Daisuke.

"Clam chowder, Minako-san and extra crackers, please. I'll probably need to throw some of them at Riku-chan." She nodded and scribbled it down and then scurried away.

Kunzite watched her walk away, bringing his coffee cup to his mouth and drinking it black, while watching Jadeite out of the corner of his eye, who then dumped copious amounts of sugar into his cup and stirring it quickly. He turned to watch his comrade, setting his cup down in front of him slowly.

"Did you know she worked here?" He asked calmly.

"As much as you did," Daisuke accused. Kunzite blinked. "Neither of us are stupid, Riku-chan. So don't pretend to be so. You profiled every single Senshi, as much as you were able to." Kunzite pondered this for a moment. Jadeite had always been analytical and observant, but he had rarely spoken so directly or in such an accusatory manner.

"I was aware, but was still curious as to why you wanted to meet me here, of all places."

"One, the location is convenient. Its two blocks from my construction site, and I have to be back in an hour. Two, it's also informal, so I can come here during my break and not have to worry about being underdressed." Riku nodded, they were sensible answers. However, sensibility and Jadeite were not two things he often associated together. Sneakiness, though, was completely normal and expected.

"Three?" He asked, suspecting an alternate motive.

"Three, if I didn't force you two to look at each other, the two of you would avoid speaking for the rest of this life. And I think that seeing her puts something at ease for you, no matter how small that something may be."

Riku didn't display an emotion, and his face didn't betray his feelings in anyway. As Kunzite, he had learned full control of his body, including displays of emotion or weakness. It was something he easily employed now, during what he classified as his third life.

"You still shouldn't have done it." He finally answered.

Daisuke nodded, the corners of his mouth twisting up into a smile. They sat in silence until their food came, Minako nodding, asking if they needed anything else, and taking off when they denied needing anything.

Minako immediately walked back through the kitchens into the store room. She wrapped her arms around herself, slumped to the floor and squeezed her eyes tight, fighting back tears.

-x-

Rei sat in front of the great fire, sweating profusely. Her legs were folded under her body, and her hands were posed upwards in front of her face. Her eyes were closed, and she chanted slowly.

The fire battered images at her. _Jadeite, kissing her behind a tree. Crying out while she and Jadeite made love. Jadeite defending their affair to Kunzite. Confessing her love for Jadeite to Serenity. Dancing with Jadeite. The announcement that the Shitennou were leaving to enter the war on Earth, marching off to their doom. Spending Jadeite's last night on the moon having loud, passionate, mind blowing sex in both of their chambers…_

"Ah!" She cried out, ripping her eyes open, gasping. He was all she ever saw now – every time she prayed to the fire, it only showed her images of him. Constantly. She woke up every night, sweating and panting, thighs wet and stomach tight, trying to will away the images of her body intertwined with the King of the Far East.

And so, she prayed for answers, and still all she saw was Jadeite. And sometimes Daisuke, his modern incarnation, laughing, or flashes of that day weeks ago when he slid his hands into her robes and gripped her sides, pulling him flush against her. Scene after scene of them together, happy and in love in the past, or indulging in lust in the future – which every time she saw, she swore she would never let come true.

Rei stood and left the room slowly, still breathing heavily. She moved slowly, dazed, towards her room. She slid the door open and moved inside. Her eyes never left the floor in front of her. She reached to the ties of her robes and tugged, letting the large white coat fall to the floor easily. Closing her eyes, she felt her hand drop to the scar, pink and prominent. Just between her breasts, a sharp point with two small extensions, equal on each side.

She bit down sharply on her tongue as she remembered the pain of her own arrowhead piercing through her breastbone, lungs gasping for air as they filled with blood and she died slowly. Usagi hadn't been wrong about how hard it would be to see the past.

She dressed slowly, pulling on a pair of old jeans and a dark long sleeved shirt. She opened her door rapidly and stepped outside quickly, discarding her slippers for a pair of sneakers.

"Rei-chan," she whipped her head up to see Makoto standing there, looking tired and worn.

"Mako-chan, sorry, I know I'm running late..." Rei began to apologize but the taller girl held up a hand to stop her.

"No worries, Rei-chan, I'm early." She smiled and held out the parcel she was holding; a small container wrapped in a small blue tie. "I brought lunch."

The miko nodded and the two girls moved to the steps of the shrine, sitting comfortably and pulling out the food.

Rei was silent as she unfolded the food Makoto handed her. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and poked at her sushi.

Makoto sighed and folded her hands in her lap, watching her friend. "You look tired, Rei-chan. Are you not sleeping?"

The priestess shrugged. "Memories," she answered. Makoto nodded and bit her lip.

Rei didn't offer up any more information, but Makoto felt a need to give her friend something.

"Mine is on my back," Makoto started. "It was a dagger – one I gave him. Suiting, I suppose." She took a deep breath. It was extremely painful for her to talk about everything she had remembered from her past life, but she honestly believed that if Rei-chan knew that they were experiencing the same thing, it would be easier.

"I see Nephrite's face every time I close my eyes, it seems. Everything reminds me of him. Except cooking. I didn't cook then. It's probably the reason I've covered my kitchen in eighteen different types of cookies."

Rei-chan let out a small smile. It was sad and not conveying even the smallest bit of happiness, but Makoto knew that her friend was the tiniest bit amused.

"My death was the very last thing to come back to me. It almost all came in order. My childhood, training to be a Senshi, and then the arrival of the four generals."

"I remember thinking they didn't belong on our planet. I didn't want them on the Moon – or on any other planet. When we toured the inner planets with them, I remember being so hesitant to even let them on Jupiter. But while we were on Venus, I remember watching all the men and women and being envious. The women on Venus were so beautiful and graceful without trying and they just were so…" Makoto paused, trying to think of the word.

"similar to nymphomaniacs?" Rei supplied. Makoto raised an eyebrow at her friend and smiled.

"I was going to say sexy." Rei nodded, picking up a piece of sushi and popping it into her mouth lazily.  
Makoto continued. "And we were at the formal welcoming dance on Venus watching all the women in their dresses that were I must say, by today's standards incredibly slutty." Rei actually chuckled at that. "We were wearing clothing more traditional to our planets – Ami was covered head to toe, you were in one of those short battle kimono type things, Serenity in a ball gown, and Mina was wearing the shortest and lowest cut dress I think I'd ever seen. I was wearing what was considered formal and fashionable on Jupiter – a very plain dress, straight and simple and I still felt like the frumpiest girl at the party."

"You never were, you know – you were always so gorgeous, I thought." Rei added softly.

"Thank you." Makoto added, throwing her arm around her friend who yawned softly and leaned against Mako-chan.

"So half way through the night, Nephrite walks up to me and asks for a dance. In shock, I asked if he was hoping to argue with me, and he simply said he'd rather fight with me than dance with any other girl there. And I was gone on him right after that. I declared him my intended about thirty seconds after landing on Jupiter."

Rei smiled and patiently waited – knowing Makoto had more of a point then just to tell a nice story.

"I keep flashing back to that moment when we realized they'd betrayed us. And I start at the beginning and I just keep asking myself why? Where did it all go wrong?"

The priestess snorted, disbelieving. "Thought of anything yet?"

The taller girl shook her head, her ponytail bobbing behind her. "No." She blinked as tears filled her eyes, one spilling over her cheek. Rei hugged her tightly.

"But I really did love him, Rei-chan, and it just hurts…" she broke down, sobbing onto Rei's shoulder. "I'm scared I still love him," she whispered.

Rei bit her lip and held her friend close, not bothering to admit the exact same fears.

-x-

"_Knowledge is something I've sought after my entire life. Both of my lives, actually – and if there's one after this, I imagine I'll follow the same path. But this was the first time that knowledge had hurt me – this was the first time I wished I hadn't sought after more information. Now I fully realized everything that was lacking in my life until that point – and exactly what it was like to have it."_

_-Mizuno Ami_

-x-

Modern Names (Original Names) Ages:

-Matsuki Daisuke (Jadeite) 23

-Yagami Riku (Kunzite) 25

-Rittou Yasanori (Zoisite) 21

-Hoshi Kenji (Nephrite) 22

-x-

So…I've been gone. Bad me. But I basically lost all the work I did on this fic – which was a lot, including all the plotting and a lot of quotes, and university eats up life like it was kraft dinner. So Please forgive me – I'm doing the best I can. Apologies. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Jan.9, 2010.** Again, just me filling in the details about Makoto's bakery, because I need to set a few scenes there.


	3. A Scare and a Shock

"_It was as though all of a sudden the past didn't matter, but that the uncertainty of the future was much scarier, and finding juts a moment's reprieve was worth any price." -Nephrite, Hoshi Kenji_

-x-

Rei bolted awake, sweat rolling off her and coating her skin as she gasped for breath. It had been a vivid nightmare, and finally a relief of dreams about the Silver Millennium. She slowly tugged herself upright and moved over to the pitcher of water she kept on the table at the side of the room.

Her hand shook as she poured a glass of water for herself. She sipped at it slowly, trying to get her breath back. She settled down and crossed her legs, preparing to meditate herself to a calmer state so she would be able to return to sleep.

The priestess caught a drop of water sliding down the outside of her glass and wiped it off. She inhaled slowly, and closed her eyes.

Pain. Minako being stabbed, a knife sticking out of her stomach. Haruka in a crash of metal and flames as her motorcycle went down on the road. Ami, drowning. Makoto, struck by lightning. Michiru, being dragged down by the tide.

Herself, burning in the flames.

Could their own elements really turn on them like this?

Rei was desperate to convince herself to put this dream in the 'nightmare' category and as far away from the 'vision' category as possible. As long as it was a single occurrence, she wouldn't worry.

At least, that's what she'd tell herself.

-x-

Mina ducked her head out of the kitchen to look over the booths. And she spotted the telltale silver head of hair, bent over the daily newspaper, waiting to order. She sighed.

Every single day for the last three weeks he'd come in on his lunch hour, sit at that table and order lunch from her. Like clockwork, he walked in the door every single day – even weekends, when he wasn't working (she assumed – she hadn't actually asked) between noon and one thirty. It was infuriating.

They didn't speak. She took his order, brought him his food and his bill at the same time (she'd learned by now that he never order dessert). They didn't converse like friends, and she loathed every minute of his presence.

He even came on her days off.

And today, after three weeks of this nonsense, Mina was sick of it. She was tired of him haunting her waking and sleeping hours – and so it was time she was going to do something about him during the hours she had control of.

So she marched up to his table and glared at him, hands on her hips. She slid his daily cup of coffee (completely black) on the table and prepared her speech.

"I'd like an order of dumplings and your minestrone soup, please." He quickly ordered, not bothering to look up at her.

She scribbled it on the pad and opened her mouth to speak and finally tell him to stop bothering him everyday, but he still didn't bother to look up.

She lost her nerve and walked away from the table.

On her way back out of the kitchen, as she past the counter, Motoki stopped her. "Mina-chan," he said. "Do you know that guy over there?" He asked, gesturing to Riku. She shook her head, her ponytail swaying behind her.

"No," she answered. "I really don't." She brought his food over to his table, slid it in front of him and moved on to the table two down from his. The blonde kicked herself for not having the guts to yell at him for invading her private life.

But one of these days, she was going to give that man a piece of her mind.

-x-

Hoshi Kenji, formerly known as Nephrite, stood outside the Callisto bakery, owned by Kino Makoto, and inhaled slowly. He had a bouquet of colourful flowers in his hand, but he didn't have much faith in the gesture. After all, flowers don't really make up for, you know, stabbing someone.

He ran a hand nervously through his recently much shorter hair- it was more of a layered shaggy look now that stopped just below his chin. With a deep breath, he entered the bakery, smiling at the soft 'ding' of the bell attached to the door.

Makoto was happily mixing cookie dough with her hands when she heard the door and the bell as she spun to greet her customer.

"Welcome to Callisto baker-" she stopped, her jaw open as soon as she laid eyes on the man standing in her shop clutching flowers with an almost defeated look on his face.

"Get out." It came out as nearly a growl, and she wasn't sure she had ever heard her own voice sound like that before. Then again, she wasn't sure she'd ever been this angry before.

"Makoto-san, I came to explain," he started.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped, furious. Makoto pushed her hair out of her face and spun back to her batter, attacking it much more furiously.

"Just hear me out, my love," he whispered softly, as he moved to the counter and laid the flowers down. She whipped back to face him, her eyes flashing, much like the lightning she wielded.

"Your love? _Your_ love? Your _love_? Let me tell you about _your love_," she bit out in sarcasm. "_Your_ love died because you betrayed her," she grabbed a large hunk of the dough and hurled it at him. He stood there as it hit his arm, staining his suit. He didn't really care. "You betrayed your home, your prince, your duty," with each she whipped another handful of dough at him, most of which landed on its target. "And you _left_ me you asshole! So tell me, what was so important, what was so precious, what did she offer you that you were willing to give all that up?" She screamed, hurling the last bit of dough and hitting him smack in the face.

He wiped the dough away from his face and sighed as he started to brush the dough off of the rest of him. "You." He answered softly. Glancing up at her shocked reaction, he assumed that she had heard him.

"What?" Makoto asked, her voice shaking a little.

"She told me that after she destroyed Earth, she'd go on to destroy the outer planets, the inner planets and finally the moon. And that if I defected to her side, that she would spare you and I could keep you with me, keep you safe. So I did."

Makoto watched him with shock written all over her face, barely processing what he was saying.

"And at that point, after she'd tortured us for the better part of a year, I said yes. I said if I could keep you alive, safe and with me that I'd do anything. And so she took us and…I don't know how, but it was like she stole all the feelings I'd ever had. I knew who you were and that I'd loved you enough to defect, but not what that felt like. I didn't understand love anymore so it didn't matter. She made us forget what love was, how to love or what it meant. I just understood that I was loyal to Metalia. And then I killed you to prove it."

He sighed and turned, opening the door and preparing to leave. "But one thing I never did, Kino Makoto, was _stop_ loving you." And with that statement, he walked out of the door, leaving the bell to chime softly again.

Makoto crumpled to the ground and buried her hands in her hair, not sure what to think anymore.

-x-

Tenoh Haruka sat in the stands of the race track, smoking a cigarette. Michiru would scream 'til she was blue in the face when she found out, but Haruka found that it helped her think.

And so she was when Setsuna found her.

"Michi-chan is going to kill you when you get home," the time priestess said as she took a seat next to her friend.

"I know." The racer answered as she exhaled.

"What's on your mind?"

"The past." Her answer was calm – it took a lot, normally, for her to become agitated. Unless someone was flirting with Michiru, in which case jealousy took her over easily.

"Anything specific?" Setsuna inquired, pushing Haruka for information. She sighed – she knew full well that Setsuna would always learn whatever she wanted to know.

"Just thinking about the fall," she didn't bother to add "of the Moon Kingdom", Setsuna was smart enough to know what she meant.

"I think about it a lot," Setsuna admitted. Haruka offered her the pack of cigarettes, but the jade haired woman shook her head.

"Did you know, then?" Haruka asked. Understanding Setsuna's lives was incredibly difficult – she seemed to understand the past, present and future and have lived in all of them with conscious knowledge of the others. Haruka considered herself an intellectual individual, and even then it made her head hurt.

"Yes."

"And you didn't try to stop it?"

"I think about it every time I live through it again. I think that maybe if I just tell her Majesty, none of it would've happened." She leaned back and looked out at the race track.

"So why don't you?" Haruka asked, curious.

"For the same reason I don't stop Mamoru-sama's parents from dying, or Ami-chan's father from leaving or even stopping the Senshi from rediscovering their memories."

"Because you die every time you interfere with the timeline?" Haruka asked, throwing down the butt of her cigarette and squishing it with her boot.

Setsuna smiled. "Because then you and I would not be sitting here. And no one has the right to control time that way."

The two sat in comfortable silence, each pondering their own courses of action from there.

-x-

Jadeite let himself into Zoisite's apartment after testing the door and finding it unlocked.  
"Yasa-kun?" He called out, hoping to find his friend was free to go out for lunch, or would at the very least had leftovers that he'd be oh so willing to spare to his friend of multiple lifetimes. He made a mental note to finally go grocery shopping as he sauntered towards his friend's bedroom.

He found the blonde lying on his bed, fully dressed with his feet on his pillows and his head towards the end, staring up at the ceiling.  
"What on earth are you doing Yasa-kun? I expect Ken-kun to stare at ceilings, not you." He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, raising an eyebrow.

"Thinking. I realize you never do, Dai-kun, but it is in fact a past time many people indulge in. You might try it," he suggested sarcastically.

Jadeite snorted. "You do make it look oh so appealing, oh wise one." He countered before spinning and walking back to the kitchen, digging through the fridge until he found cold sushi rolls and a bottle of soy and dropping them on the counter. He dug a pair of chopsticks out of one of the drawers and a bowl. Pouring the soy sauce into the bowl, he opened the sushi and started eating.

As predicted, Zoisite followed him to the kitchen so he could wine. "Ami-chan hates me," he moaned.

Jadeite laughed. "Let me guess. You've been so caught up in moping that you haven't done anything in three days," he popped another roll into his mouth.

"She came over looking for a DNA sample," the younger Shitennou sighed desperately. "And it was cold and formal and she hates me."  
"Just a hint, but it might be because you murdered her." Jadeite shrugged when Zoi glared at him. "Girls tend to be angry about that."

"My life has no meaning without her," he sighed, leaning his elbows on the island Jadeite was eating off of.

His friend rolled his eyes at his mellow dramatic antics.

Zoisite stopped and stood up straight. "Wait, why aren't you freaking out? Surely Rei can't be taking this well. I imagine she's tried to murder you at least twice by now," he concluded.

Jadeite shrugged. "I haven't seen her since we got our memories back."

Zoisite raised his eyebrows. "You're not going through withdrawal from the arguments or anything?"

"I miss her but I'm not about to throw myself in front of a train," he snorted again.

"I can't believe _you're_ being so calm about this." Zoicite pulled his hair out of his ponytail and started straightening it with his fingers before fixing it back into its low tail.

"Clearly I know something you don't, Yasa-kun," he grinned.

Zoisite glared. "And what's that?"

"That sometimes, you have to let fate make everything work out," Daisuke leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms, pointing his chop sticks at his friend. "And that an apology is a brilliant place to start."

-x-

Usagi sat on the steps outside of Mamoru's apartment, waiting for her fiancé to arrive home. She bounced her legs up and down while she fiddled with her hair.

Hearing the sounds of a motorcycle perked her up and she looked up, waving at Mamoru as he passed by, driving into the parking garage of his building. She waited for a minute and he appeared with a smile, moving over to greet her.

"Sorry I'm late, Usako," he whispered before kissing her softly.

She smiled. "I've only been here a minute," she shrugged and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her into his building and into the elevator.

In his apartment, as he shuffled around his kitchen putting together something for them to eat, she stared out the window. Wrapping an arm around herself, she shivered. "Looks like it's going to rain," she said.

"They're calling for thunderstorms," he said. She whimpered lightly and felt his arms wrap around her.

"You can stay here for the night, you know," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded. "Thank you," she answered, turning to bury her face in his chest. He swayed softly, rocking her gently.

"Mamo-chan?"

"Yes, Usako?" She leaned back from his embrace to look at him, with a small frown.

"Do you think we did the right thing? Giving the Shitennou and the Senshi their memories back?"

He sighed and rubbed her back gently. "We gave them the choice, Usagi. They wanted to know."

"I just hate that they're going through so much pain right now," she answered.

He ran his hand through one strand of her hair. "That's one of the reasons I love you. You care so much about everyone. And it'll get better,"

She moved away from his embrace, sitting on the couch. He followed her and wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned against him. "Not for a long while, Mamo-chan. I still have nightmares about what I remember."

He nodded and kissed the side of her head. "I do too," he admitted. She looked up.

"That's the part that bothers me the most. I have you and you have me but the girls don't have anybody. I worry about the Shitennou, too." She flipped a pigtail over her shoulder. "And it's so stupid, too, because if they could just get over the past and see that they belong with each other than they wouldn't have to be alone and they wouldn't have to hurt anymore!"

Mamoru chuckled. "It doesn't work like that, though."

She glanced at him and he ran a hand through her hair. "No, but I wish it would. I understand why the girls are angry. It's horrible to watch your lover turn against you," she whispered. He winced. She noticed and immediately reached out, "I didn't mean you Mamo-chan," she started, but he interrupted her to with a hand help up to her lips.

"I know. It just hurts me to remember those days, remember trying to hurt you."

She snuggled against his chest. "I just wanted the girls to be happy."

He rubbed her back. "Well Usako, we knew this would be hard when we decided to do it, but I really didn't think the Senshi would accept the Shitennou into their lives without knowing what kind of men they could be. _Can_ be," he corrected himself.

"It just sucks," she whined.

He laughed. "That it does."

-x-

Makoto lifted her umbrella a bit higher as lightning cracked through the sky. She walked faster, moving down the street towards her apartment.

Normally Makoto loved storms. In her first life, she'd commanded thunder and lightning on a whim – she was more powerful then. Now, she could summon her attacks, but had no influence over nature. Now, storms excited her, awoke some kind of primal fierce energy inside her – like her element was calling to her. She was often tempted to go walking through storms and dance in the rain, the way she had when she was Princess of Jovia.

However, she didn't really enjoy carrying a paper bag of groceries home in a storm where the wind kept threatening to take her umbrella away from her.

A loud crack of thunder was heard and she spun, surprised by how close it seemed. Shrugging it off – she hardly shared Usagi's fear of thunder storms – she resumed hurrying home.

Then everything went black.

-x-

Chase Abrams had not been having a very good day when he saw a young woman struck by lightning. She dropped to the ground, unconscious. Dodging traffic, he rushed across the street to help her.

Tomatoes, potatoes and peppers rolled around the street from the grocery bag that was crushed underneath her. He grabbed his cell phone and dialled 1-1-9 quickly, demanding an ambulance to come and get them.

He listened to the operator and told her he could perform CPR, so he slowly rolled the woman over. Her chestnut curls clung to her, soaking wet. He examined her for burn marks and leaned his head down her to hers, tilting to try and feel if she was still breathing.

She wasn't.

-x-

Rei glared at the pounding on the side door to the shrine and tightened the wrap she was wearing. She slid the door open to reveal a rain soaked Jadeite and her mood immediately worsened.

"Jade-"

He interrupted her, holding a hand up to her lips. "Daisuke," he hissed. "Would you let me in?"

She glared and blocked the door with a hand. "I don't think I will," she shot back.

"It's insane outside," he grumbled. "Have you really become that much of a bitch, Hino-san?" He asked coldly. He turned on his heel and walked away.

She bit her lip, hurt by what he said. She looked up and saw lightning streak across the sky and called out, "Wait!"

He turned and looked at her, his bangs plastered to his forehead and covering the tops of his eyes.  
"Just until the storm passes," she called and he nodded, trudging back to the shrine and following her inside.

-x-

_ "Being incomplete without someone else really sucks." –Kino Makoto_

/|x|\

So that's Chapter 3 folks! I know it's been this side of an eternity waiting for this, but there are a million excuses that I won't bother with, I'll just say this – I have a life, it's called University and it tries to eat me on a regular basis. Don't worry, I'm notifying the government.

A few notes to go with this chapter:

-119 is the Japanese equivalent of 9-1-1. The number you phone for emergency services changes from country to country. In Japan, 119 is for Medical and Fire emergencies.

-If you see someone struck by lightning, call an ambulance, then check to see if they are breathing. If not, perform CPR – don't worry, they can't shock you. You should also check for burn marks on their body.

I expect Chapter 4 to be written by the end of the summer. Yes, that's not soon, but I have several other fics that require updating (my Dark Angel stuff and my Supernatural/Firefly crossover work) – and when I get reviews it makes me work faster, because it makes me think about the work you reviewed.

And I have every intention of starting Chapter 4 of solving the cliffhanger I left off with for Makoto, since I know you'll all want to know.

Thanks for reading!

Through Darkness and Light /|x|\


	4. A Dream and a Reality

**Disclaimer:** This is a quick reminder that I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters and have no intention of using them to make a profit. This is purely for entertainment.  
As a reminder:

Jadeite – Matsuki Daiskue Nephrite – Hoshi Kenji  
Zoicite – Rittou Yasanori Kunzite – Yagami Riku

_Sometimes living through the day-to-day is the worst part. You have superpowers to deal with the fantastical and the unusual, but you have nothing special to deal with the mundane problems that everyone must face, and that makes them the hardest ones to solve. – Kunzite, Yagami Riku_  
-x-  
Makoto inhales slowly as she descends a large staircase. Looking down, she is wearing a plain green dress that tied around her neck and dropped to her ankles. A trumpet sounds, and from somewhere she hears a man shout, "Announcing her royal highness, the crown princess, the Lady Jovia." She reaches the bottom of the stairs and takes the arm of the man at the bottom, dressed in military garb.

She has no control of her body or what is happening, she just watches as the events unfold around her.

She is lead to the dance floor where she turns to curtsey to her partner. Her eyes finally settled on the face of the man whose arm she had been attached to.

Nephrite.

He bows to her and they start into a basic waltz. Her head is turned as she examines the other women dancing, all of whom seem to have much more intricate dresses than hers. She notices a few familiar faces dancing. Serenity waltzes by in the arms of Endymion, the two totally lost in their lover's eyes. Then Mina, in a two piece dress – one strip across her breasts and a skirt that stopped right after covering her privates, in the arms of a faceless man in a military suit. Nephrite turns her and she catches a glimpse of Ami, arguing with a man.

Nephrite clears his throat softly and her gaze spins back to him.

"Listen, I know your highness is upset that Terrans will be present on Jovia for the hunt," he begins, "but we are extremely honoured and have every intention of being respectful of your traditions." He looks down and catches her eye. "I promise that we have studied your customs and plan to be perfect participants who will in no way interfere with the ceremonies."

Her jaw drops and she can hear herself speaking, but she hadn't been thinking the words. "You intend to participate in the _sacred_ annual Jovian hunt?" She pulls back from his arms, stopping the dance. "How _dare _you!"

People whisper around them, but she barely notices. He smirks in her general direction. "Actually your highness, I intend to be the first Terran winner of the Jovian hunt."

She feels rage boil up inside of her. A snap of thunder roars outside, and the sound of rain pouring down over the building echoes softly under the music.

"No Terran pig will _ever_ win my hunt!" She screams.

Suddenly, Rei is at her side, putting a hand on her arm. "Jovia, _control yourself_." She mutters under her breath.

Her eyes close for a minute and the thunder quiets and the rain slows to a stop. She feels the thunder inside her, the rain as through it is what flows through her veins.

"Everything is under control, Martina," she says, nodding to Rei who nods and turns, walking away. She takes a minute to observe the Martian battle runes drawn on her friend's arms and legs before her attention turns back to the Terran general grinning in front of her.

Curtseying politely, she smiles and leans forward so only Nephrite. "I look forward to embarrassing you at the hunt, my good general. For your sake, I hope you hunt much better than you dance."

With that, she turns and stalks off.  
-x-  
Kenji spun around and picked up his phone as it buzzed at him. He put down the book he had been reading (essays on the re-classification of Pluto as a dwarf planet) and checked the caller id.  
"Hey Mamoru-kun," he answered.

"Ken-kun...are you sitting down?"

Kenji's eyebrows furrowed. "Should I be?"

"I have bad news, I'm afraid."

"What is it?" He may not be Kunzite, but Kenji considered himself to be rather good in a crisis.

"Nephrite, its Makoto-chan. She's in the hospital."

Immediately his calm evaporated. He ran out of the apartment without a coat, barely remembering to put shoes on and lock his door as he ran for the subway station.

It didn't occur to him until later to ask which hospital he should be running to.  
-x-  
Mamoru slapped a hand to his forehead when he realized that Nephrite would probably tear around Tokyo trying to find Makoto like a madman. He hit the third button on his speed-dial and waited through the ringing noise until Kunzite picked up.

"Moshi-moshi."

"Riku-kun, it's Mamoru."

"Yes, Mamoru-sama?" The reply was automatic, Mamoru knew.

"First, Makoto-chan is in the hospital." He was trying to keep the panic out of his voice, but he was worried.

"Is Kino-san alright?" The gruff general's voice asked.

"We don't know yet. But I called Kenji-kun and told him…"

A soft sigh came over the line. "And he immediately tore off in a panic attack."

Mamoru half-laughed. "Pretty much."

"I'll try to hunt him down and calm him down. Which hospital are you at?"

"Azabu General." He swallowed. Thank Kami-sama for Kunzite. He could solve any problem.

"And what was second?"

Mamoru's eyebrows scrunched up. "Hmm?"

"You said firstly."

Mamoru grinned. "Stop calling me Mamoru-sama."

-x-

Rei woke to the sound of the phone ringing and yawned as she got up, grabbing the receiver. "Moshi-moshi, Hikawa Temple and Shrine," she yawned into the phone.

"Rei-chan?" The voice came through soft and tentative.

"Usagi-chan? Why are you calling at this hour?"

"Rei-chan, it's almost noon." Usagi answered, sounding concerned.

Rei's eyes snapped open, and darted to the clock. 11:23. How could she have slept so late? She didn't even hear her alarm. She had chores to start and what if there were customers and Phobos and Deimos needed to be fed...

"Rei-chan, I'm at the hospital."

All of Rei's thoughts immediately halted. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's Mako-chan. She was struck by lightning. We're at the Azabu General, I'll meet you inside."

"In forty-five minutes." Rei hung up the phone and ran to her drawers, ripping clothes out and hastily throwing them on, pausing for a second to wonder why on earth she had fallen asleep naked. It hadn't been that hot the night before, and she always wore clothes to sleep.

Hearing a loud yawn that certainly did not come from her, Rei spun on her heel, panicking and ready to transform. Her eyes bulged at the sight in front of her.

Sitting up on the other side of her bed, with the sheets bunched up at his waist and no shirt on was Jadeite. His hair was tousled and a mess and he had a couple of (and upon seeing these she blushed) bite marks on his chest.

"You were supposed to leave when the rain stopped!" she screamed across the room.

"We were a little distracted if you don't remember," he answered, smirking. He stretched and stood up, not caring that he was stark naked.

Rei gasped and looked away, flushing. He chuckled. "Funny, last night you seemed rather enthralled by the sight and now you're embarrassed."

"Last night," she spat the words out, "was a _mistake._ A _colossal _mistake. Now I have to go out, so kindly leave, Matsuki-san." When she turned back to him, he was buttoning his jeans.

He raised an eyebrow when his eyes met her glare. She picked his shirt up off the floor and threw it at him in a huff. He tugged it over his head, slipped his shoes on and marched over to her.

"Say whatever you like, _Hino-san_," he hissed the formal name, "but you and I both know that last night was _right_ and neither of us will be surprised when it happens again."

"It will _never_ happen again!" She snapped back. He ignored her and walked out of the room, leaving the shrine.

She felt tears start to drip down her face as she finished getting dressed. She wiped them away as she ran for the subway.

-x-

Four girls and one man sat in the waiting room. Usagi clenched Mamoru's hand, Rei glared at the nurses who walked by, Ami was reading and Minako tapped her foot.

All five jumped and looked every time they heard footsteps in the hallway, waiting for a doctor to come tell them they could see Makoto. She hadn't required surgery, but she was still unconscious.

When two men walked up and stood before them, Ami and Minako's faces changed to glares that matched Rei's.

"Yagami-san, Hoshi-san, what are you doing here?" Minako asked, standing up to block the path of the two men.

"How is she? Can I see her?" Kenji blurted out, looking panicked.

Rei's glare got sharper. "No you can't see her! How did you even know she's here?"

"Mamoru-kun called me," he said. The three girls standing whipped their heads around to glare at Mamoru. Usagi squeezed his hand.

"That was nice of you," she whispered to her fiancé.

"I'd want someone to call me if it were you," he answered her. Meeting the glares of the Senshi, he shrugged and answered, "I thought he should know."

Minako turned. "First, she's unconscious. Second, I don't think she would want to see you. Third," she paused and looked at Riku, "what are you doing here then, Yagami-san?"

"I came with Ken-kun and wanted to extend my best wishes for a full and steady recovery to Kino-san." He answered every bit the diplomat.

Minako swallowed. _Exactly like how he had been in the last life._

Rei blinked. It seemed even she could acknowledge the act as noble and acceptable.

"I agree with Minako. No way in hell is seeing Makoto-chan." Rei folded her arms over her chest.

"I'm not leaving until I see her," Kenji answered, looking particularly determined. "I'll get myself admitted as a patient if I have to. I'll make Riku knock me out."

"Perhaps a compromise, then," Ami said.

The others turned to face her. "Ami-chan, you can't be serious..."

"One look at his face, Minako-chan, and anyone can tell he is deadly serious about seeing her. And so I think our only option is to compromise. As Makoto-chan is currently unconscious, we can lobby for her to be allowed one visitor for a very short period of time. She won't know he was there and he will have the peace of mind of having seen her." She turned to face the two Shitennou. "Agreed?"

"I'll take whatever I can get," Kenji nodded.

"Agreed," Riku answered for him.

"I'll speak to a nurse." Ami left to find one of Makoto's nurses. Rei and Minako returned to their seats, clearly not pleased with the results. Riku and Kenji took seats, Riku next to Usagi and Kenji next to Mamoru.

Usagi turned to Riku. "How are you, Kunzite-san?"

"I'm well, thank you, Usagi-sama, but please call me Riku. And how are you?" He smiled at her.

"I'm okay! Worried about Mako-chan but she'll be fine. And I promise to call you Riku-chan if you'll call me Usagi-chan." She answered brightly.

From across the room, Minako huffed, watching their conversation from out of the corner of her eye. _So he talks to her does he now.._.Her foot tapping grew more insistent.

Ami returned and nodded to the group. "The nurse says he can go in for five minutes."

Kenji sprang up from his seat and then took a moment to compose himself. He ran a hand through his hair and walked stiffly to the door. He opened it quickly and shut it behind him.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw her lying in the hospital bed. She had an IV sticking out of her arm, and a heart monitor beeping softly in the background. His mouth went dry as he followed the beeps for a minute and then exhaled when he realized they were strong, steady beats.

He grabbed a chair and tugged it up next to her bed, sitting down to look at her. "God, Makoto," he said.

On the way over, he'd thought of a million things that he had to say to her. He wanted to tell her about how she had to get better because they hadn't even had a chance to make it right yet and that their souls belong together. Death had separated them once and he'd found his way back to her because there was no other woman that could ever compare to her or complete him the way she did. He didn't even want to look for another possibility, he knew in every part of his being that there just wasn't another woman for him. He'd liked her before they got their memories back and now he just felt like there was a hole where she belonged.

But seeing her laying there, the machines beeping along, the words seemed pointless. They were just words. He sighed and squeezed her hand.

"I'll wait as long as I have to, Mako-chan. You come find me whenever you're ready," he whispered. As he tugged his hand away, Kenji was surprised to find that he felt a small electric shock. Shrugging it off, he exited her hospital room quietly, noticing he had just surpassed his limit.

"Thank you, Mizuno-san, Hino-san, Aino-san." He nodded to the three girls before turning to the other side. "Mamoru-sama, Usagi-sama," he bowed to the two of them.

"Riku-kun?" He asked and the other man nodded, standing as well. He gave a very similar farewell to the group and followed Kenji down the hall.

The three Senshi met each other's eyes. Rei pursed her lip and Minako finally stopped tapping her foot. Ami stood and walked into Makoto's room, closing the door behind her.

When Ami opened the door and gestured for the rest to enter, they did so quickly and quietly. The formed a semi-circle around Makoto's bed, sheltering her. Usagi squeezed Mamoru's hand for support as Ami clicked a few buttons on her minicomputer.

"She's going to be fine, right Ami-chan?" Minako asked.

"Should I heal her?" Mamoru asked. Usagi shot him a grateful look.

Ami shook her head. "That's the weird part. Makoto's fine."

"Your definition of fine is scary, Ami-chan." Rei snarked.

"Rei-chan," Usagi shushed. Rei glared back.

"Mako-chan's in a damn coma, Usa-chan! That is not fine! That is so very far from fine it'll need a map and binoculars to get to okay!" She shouted.

Ami cleared her throat. "From what I can tell, she isn't hurt. On the contrary, actually."

"What do you mean?" Mina asked.

"Well, oddly she seems to be giving off a small current. In fact," Ami lifted one hand to touch Makoto's and jerked it back as she felt a shock. "Just as I thought. She's actually storing and passing on electricity."

Usagi, Rei and Minako blinked. "Any theories, Ami-chan?"

"I suspect she's going through some kind of power surge. Her powers may be advancing or preparing to advance in some way."

"But why just Mako-chan? We usually all go through a power up around the same time," Rei commented.

"And it's usually related to a new threat – oh god, there's a new threat," Mina concluded and her face went pale.

"Possibly. I can't confirm anything. I would recommend we meet with Setsuna-san, though. She likely knows something about this, especially if it has to do with our powers."

"Alright. I'll take first shift with Mako-chan." Mina offered. "Text me when we know when Setsuna-san can meet us."

"I'll swing by after my class with magazines and snacks, okay?" Ami offered. Mina nodded and waved them out of the room.

She sat down in the chair next to Makoto and propped her feet up on the rails of her friend's hospital bed. "So Mako-chan, what do you want to talk about?"  
-x-  
Hours later and with a wide yawn, large green eyes blinked open slowly to see a tall, sandy haired man looking down at her. He was clutching a bouquet of colourful flowers. She blinked a few times but still had no idea who he was.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, realizing she was awake. "I just...I wanted to bring you these. I'm the one who found you and I wanted to check on you," he rushed through his explanation. "My name is Chase Abrams," he introduced himself. She was impressed. For an American, his Japanese was perfect.

"That's very kind of you, Abrams-san..." she tripped a little over the American last name but he didn't comment on it.

"Please, call me Chase. How are you feeling? The nurses said you didn't have a concussion or burns or anything, which is good news."

"Oh. Uh, that does sound good." She blushed. "Chase-san, do you know what happened to me? The last thing I remember was walking home from a grocery store."

"Oh! Of course. I guess I should get a nurse. You were hit by lightning, by the way." Her mouth dropped open to protest – she certainly didn't feel like she'd been hit by lightning – "And the nurses say you're making a full recovery and doing really good but you've sort of been asleep for the last eighteen hours, give or take." He scratched the back of his head and sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"I realize this is incredibly forward, Kino-san, but the thing is that you're so gorgeous and I can't stop thinking about you and obviously this isn't a good time because you just got hit by lightning but I'd really like to take you out for coffee," he rambled, barely stopping to catch his breath.

Makoto's eyebrows shot up when she processed what he had asked her. He was kind of nervous and bumbling but he was good looking and he'd brought nice flowers and he was kind of like her white knight.

Nephrite's face, unbidden, popped up into her mind. She forced it back down along with any feelings that may have not agreed with this. She squared her chin resolutely and made up her mind.

"I'd love to."

-x-

_When you've really be in love with someone, you don't get over them. You just move on. You're going to love that person for the rest of your life and there's nothing you can do except move on and live your life the best you can without them. _

–_Aino Minako_

/|x|\

So I said this would be up in August...oops. Life got in the way...again. Damn. Settle for September?

Also, can you give me a heads up of how you're doing with the name switches? I'm trying to be gentle and easy with it, so an idea of where you guys are would be awesome.


End file.
